Stitching For Guys Who Don’t Like Golf By Niamh from Urban Threads

We are so excited to feature Niamh from Urban Threads as our guest blogger this week. You may recognize her recent work featured in the May/June 2012 issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery. If you need a copy, give us a call at 888-739-0555 to subscribe!

A note on all garments shown: all garments unless otherwise noted are great finds from department stores. But have no fear! At the end of the piece we’ll show you similar embroidery designs that you can use to achieve a similar effect.

Brand: Metropark

Let’s face it … stitching for guys can be tough.

It seems in many cases out there, embroidery for guys assumes that he loves A) golf B) hunting, C) grilling or D) beer. Or possibly golfing while flipping burgers and drinking beer, which sounds a bit hazardous to me, honestly.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with stitching for stuff like this. In fact, the fun of these occasions is that it is a great time to pull out that bright and bold GRILLMASTER design to splash across an apron, or stitch a big buck’s head across a bright orange sweater. Many of these occasions and hobbies call for bold, straightforward designs. The problem is in all other occasions, the fella might not wish that big bold solid stitch design to scream I LOVE GOLF with as much vibrance as a Hawaiian shirt at a Metallica concert. Guys sometimes want to be subtle.

Lucky for me, ladies are not always stuck with the assumption that we want our designs to loudly profess our love for a certain hobby or affiliation. Sure, we CAN have those designs (I myself am a proud nerd and will wear it with bold stitchy pride), but other times our designs can be things we think just look neat, and call for no occasion whatsoever. I don’t know a darn thing about koi fish for instance, but that won’t stop me stitching a light pretty design of them on a shirt, and it’s safe to say no one will assume it’s because I’m a koi farmer. Why can’t we treat menswear the same?

Can’t we just stitch them something that looks cool, for no other reason than that?

Brand: Xelement

The first key to stitching modern menswear, then, is to find more subtle, decorative ways of using embroidery. If you walk into a modern menswear section at your local mall, you’ll actually find LOTS of embroidery and stitching on stuff for guys (in fact, I’ve had a hard time finding something without embroidery so I could decorate it!) but you’ll notice that most of it is tonal colors, running stitch, appliqué, or one-color decorative accents. These kinds of designs rarely proclaim any proclivity towards fishing but usually look cool and guy-friendly all the same.

Brand: English Laundry

The truth is, if we’re really talking apparel here, lighter designs are a natural choice anyway to ensure your design doesn’t pucker or cause weird draping issues, especially on lighter garments. For tees and button-ups, designs with more open areas will sit better on the fabric and let your design sit with a more subtle, masculine effect. Try using tone-on-tone effects by choosing a thread color that mimics your garment.

You can also try branching out in subject matter. An easy way to stitch for contemporary men’s fashion is to not take the “subject” so literally and use decorative type designs instead. Heraldic motifs, tribal designs, and simple shapes like a cross or fleur-de-lis make great accent pieces that just look cool, and are all guy-friendly.

Brand: Mark Nason

So next time you fire up that embroidery machine to make a dude some cool embroidered wares, give your typical designs a pause, and try a design that’s light in stitch, subtle in color, and heavy on attitude. The guys will thank you for it.

Mother’s Day is coming up. That got us thinking… what has been your favorite Mother’s Day and why?” Post your comment for a chance to win a $25 shopping spree to the Designs in Machine Embroidery website.

The winner of last week’s assignment answered the question:

I need your help selecting a new design to feature in an upcoming project. So tell me, do you like design A, B or C? We’ll pick a random winner to receive a Magna-Hoop! Wow – you could win – just leave your comment!

The winner is… Sheryl Matthews!
“Definitely design “B”. I love anything Jacobean and this one screams Jacobean to me. I also love the stitching in the center of the leaves and flowers.”

Kathy

Paula Roney

8 years ago

Every Mother’s Day has been wonderful because I am blessed to still have my mom sharing my life. My Grams are gone now but my mom still makes all of my days special, shares all of my joys and sorrows, and inspires me to live each and every day to the fullist.

Kathy

8 years ago

My favorite Mother’s Day was 8 years ago. I had just recently completed chemo and radiation treatments for breast cancer. My husband (who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2005) always went out of his way to make days like that special. He included our two sons and I had breakfast in bed and was treated like royalty the entire day. It will always be one of my favorite memories of our family. But, every day of being a mother is a blessing!

Colleen Bell

8 years ago

Oh everyone’s comments were so sweet. It seems so hard to pick one. I do remember my first…I was pregnant with our first son who would become the oldest of nine and my husband bought me a Precious Moments figurine to commemorate the day. It was so sweet. I even remember the dress I wore – just like it was yesterday – only 25 years earlier. Doesn’t time fly!

Happy Mother’s Day to each one of you and your readers. God has given us the special privilege to be mothers.

Barbara Rowlan Wong

8 years ago

Being a Mother is such a blessing, I can’t single out just one.
I am the Mother of one daughter who is adopted and she always finds just the right way to make my day special! And now she’s adopting a daughter, a very special little girl.

Lydia

8 years ago

Even though I’m not a fisher-woman, my favorite, memorable Mother’s Day happened years ago. We were fishing at my Mother’s beach place and I caught a 10-pound salmon! Of course, my husband didn’t, so he made me clean the fish! OMG! This was totally against what my grandmother-in-law told me: “Never learn how to clean a fish!” It took a very long time before I actually did clean this one. We cooked it on the BBQ over an alder wood fire. It was the best day with my family and this wonderful salmon. Never caught another that large–neither did my husband.

margaret fredericks

Desiree Kumpf

8 years ago

The best Mother’s Day I had was in 1999, when my beautiful Michaela Janae was born just a few hours before. Fourteen hours of labor was behind me and I had a brand new baby, so I could eat, relax, and thoroughly enjoy the whole day with my 5 kiddos!

Margaret Brantley

Cynthia

8 years ago

One of my best MD was my son was a Sr in HS, working & doing track. He kept asking me what I wanted cuz he was so busy he needed to go shopping. I finally told him.My gift will cost you nothing & no time. At your state track meet you can do your very best & that will be it. Guess what? He was the state champion.(high jump) Eveybody there knew that was my gift to see him win his last yr. It was in the paper as Happy Mothers Day A gift of Love. I don’t care what he placed just watching him. I was so excited about him winning I didn’t even remember what I told him then he came up & said Happy Mother Day Mom. Thing like this are far more richer than any gifts. Just to be with you kids & watch what they can do.Happy Mother Day to all.Im very proud to also be a Gramma.

Lila Smith

8 years ago

4 or 5 white shirt buttons sewn on an index card from Sunday School. Still have the card and buttons – over 40 years and I still have it. Don’t plan to use the bottons either. More precious than gold. Our son was about 3 or 4 years old and is now on the upward way to 50. He has two step children and we became instant grand parents. We used to be 3 for meals and now it is 6 and are so happy! Lila

Beth R

Ruth Peterson

8 years ago

I would say my best Mother’s Day was my first. I waited until my early 30’s to be a mom, and my daughter is the best thing that ever happened to me. It’s now 26+ years of Mother’s Days to compare to the first, but none have been as precious. I am able to still celebrate the day with my own mom, and feel blessed to do so. Blessings to all mothers out there!

Clem

8 years ago

My favorite Mother’s day was when my oldest daughter was 10, her sister was 7 and her brother was 5. They went to a crafty friend’s house and asked her to help make a wonderful mini picture frame with all 3 kids’ picture hanging in a row. My friend let them make it their way, with just a little guidance. It was beautiful. I could tell it was their work and treasure it to this day. Now my oldest granddaughter is 10 and it is my turn to show her how to use her own talents to make her mom a beautiful gift.

Kathy Martin

8 years ago

I think my favorite Mother’s Day was my very first one. It was 1972, my husband was away in the military and our first daughter was born at 10 minutes past noon on Mother’s day, May 14, 1972. My husband was in Viet Nam and he didn’t even know she had been born for 2 weeks.

Dolly D.

8 years ago

I can not pick one Mother’s Day as my “favorite”. I am blessed to have 2 wonderful, loving daughters who treat my like a Queen, every day, and I cherish the time we spend together. Our special bond is amazing!

Lori W

8 years ago

Every Mother’s day since my son was born has been my favorite and he is almost 17. This past one was special though because I was able to see my Mom while my parents house was being cleaned out as they are now in assisted living together. It was a total surprise to her and my dad. My husband found a card that I had made for her in 1975, so I gave it to her again this year!

Peg Schmidt

8 years ago

This year is my favorite, and then next year will be my favorite, and then the year after will be my favorite. You see, every year I get to live another Mothers’ Day and able to share it with my children and my grandchildren it is my most precious!

Ann Trimble

8 years ago

I am 70 yrs old sitting out side the High School waiting for my adopted
15 yr old to finish cheer leading practice she is also a great grand daughter.
Have raised 3 of my own, 1 grand daughter, and this ggrand daughter
And to me every day is a Blessed Mothers Day I can’t pick just one. Each
One has been an adventure. Ann T

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